A once-promising ballet dancer was sentenced to six years hard labour today
after being found guilty of planning an acid attack that virtually blinded
the artistic director of Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre.

Pavel Dmitrichenko, who made a name for himself dancing the part of Ivan the
Terrible, was convicted along with two accomplices of inflicting
“premeditated grievous bodily harm” in the attack on Sergei Filin on the
night of January 17.

The 29-year-old soloist had disagreements with his boss over casting and
spending at the theatre but denied ordering the attack. He did, however,
admit “moral responsibility” for having bad-mouthed Mr